Chris Jericho has gone through more character changes than almost anyone in modern pro wrestling, and he says one music legend helped shape that mindset.
While speaking to Dan Marston, Jericho talked about the importance of evolving over time. After explaining why dropping the Y2J persona was such a big risk, Jericho said he realized he could continue changing himself whenever he started to feel stale.
That led Jericho to name David Bowie as his biggest inspiration in show business.
“Well, that’s exactly right. And my biggest inspiration in show business is David Bowie and I always was really obsessed and interested in really paying attention to what he was doing, which he always reinvented himself.”
Jericho said Bowie’s many different personas left a major impression on him. He brought up how fans can recognize Bowie from multiple eras because each version was distinct, but still clearly part of the same artist.
“You know, I just did a podcast a couple months ago with all the Bowie characters and there’s literally a dozen of them. Like, you could go to a Halloween party and see 12 people dressed as Bowie, but different versions and you would know that’s Bowie.”
Jericho said that idea also applies to his own career. Whether fans dress as Y2J, the Painmaker, the List-era Jericho, or another version, he sees that as proof that his long-term plan worked.
“And then it’s like that with Chris Jericho, as well. Every Halloween people who are me, Chris Jericho, in every era that you can see. And so it’s like, well, that’s kind of what my overall goal was and it kind of worked out.”
Jericho’s career has been built on refusing to stay in one lane for too long. From rock star babyface to suit-wearing villain to “Le Champion” in AEW, he has kept changing before fans could permanently box him into one era.
That Bowie influence clearly stuck with him. Jericho did not just want one iconic version of himself. He wanted several, and fans are still debating which one was the best.
Which version of Chris Jericho stands out the most to you? Please share your thoughts and feedback in the comments section below.
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